The Bridge of Mercy

“Father, my son just died. Can you bless his remains?” The mother vividly wore a devastated countenance.
“Your son died? How…!!!?” The priest couldn’t believe it.
“He jumped off the bridge…,” the mother started crying.
“But he was a balanced fellow and he even served here in the parish,” the priest recalled.
“We don’t understand either, Father,” the boy’s father lamented.
“I will just get dressed and bless his remains,” the priest left for the sacristy.

The coffin was brought into the church. Father approached to sprinkle it with holy water. Suddenly, for some strange reason, he stopped before the coffin and was very pensive for a few noticeable minutes.

The people began to wonder what stopped him and what he had pondered about. Finally, the priest blessed the coffin and to everyone’s surprise said, “Let’s celebrate a mass for your son!”

“You may have all wondered,” the priest explained during the homily, “why I stopped for some minutes before the boy’s remains.”

The people became intensely curious about what he had to share.

“As I approached coffin, the boy’s soul suddenly stood before me. He was dazzling white and had a very joyful expression on his face.”

“The boy said, ‘Thank you, Father. Please tell my mother (Inay) not to worry because I’m going to Heaven.’”

“I asked how this wonderful thing occurred—for the Church does not state anything about the destiny of people who commit suicide and leaves it for God’s mercy to decide—considering the circumstances in which he died.”

“The boy shared the following with me:”

‘Father, as I jumped off the bridge, I immediately realized that I had committed a grave mistake.’
‘Since it was no longer possible to return to the bridge, all I could say was: Jesus, have mercy on me. Into your hands I commend my soul.’
‘And you know, Father, Jesus had mercy on me! That’s why I’m going to Heaven!’
‘Please, tell my mother not to worry.’

* * * * * *

When I read this very moving story, I reflected how this boy was like the ‘good thief’ in Calvary who stole Heaven by sincerely pleading Jesus to remember Him! Jesus, not only remembered Him, but promised that he would be in paradise that very day!

Of course, the boy and the thief’s circumstances are very different. But in both, the infinite mercy of God is expressed in the same profound and loving manner. Likewise, in both episodes, each one sorrowfully realized and acknowledged their sinfulness. They humbly turned to Jesus for mercy and forgiveness and received the gift of salvation.

The main difference between the two is the time they had to realize, acknowledge, and plead for mercy. The thief had more time than the boy who jumped off the bridge.

Unlike these two fortunate individuals, we are not jumping off a bridge or dying on a cross, but we have more time at hand. Sadly, we walk casually and briskly through life’s many bridges (e.g. family, friends, work, etc.) and beat the red lights in life’s crossroads (e.g. important decisions, vocation, self-giving, sacrifices, etc.). Unfortunately, we do not realize the value of time and may end up wasting an eternity.

It may help to read what an unknown author wrote about the value of time:

To realize the value of one year, ask a student who has failed his final exam.

And remember that time waits for no one.

In this Jubilee of Mercy, we are given so much time to take advantage of God’s mercy. We are not pressured like the boy or the thief to plead for God’s mercy in a few existential seconds.

We have more opportunities to say, “Lord, have mercy on me!” throughout the day. We have at our disposal and leisure the healing and nourishing sacraments of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist. We have more occasions to do simple, hidden and constant spiritual and corporal works of mercy. We have countless moments to center our minds and hearts on God’s mercy, so that we may ‘become witnesses of God’s mercy’ for others.

And how many chances we have to ask our Blessed Mother, who journeys with us, “Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!”